It didn’t take long for the warmth of collectivism to heat up the debate around home ownership in New York City. In one of his first actions as mayor, Zohran Mamdani relaunched the Office to Protect Tenants and appointedCea Weaver as its director. Weaver, a fellow member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has claimed homeownership is a “weapon of white supremacy” and clamoredto “seize private property!”
How Weaver plans to navigate the little problem of constitutionally protected property rights is left unclear. But in the words of the mayor on election night, “there is no problem too large for government to solve, and no concern too small for it to care about.” It’s sad but unsurprising Weaver has taken a place in Mamdani’s administration, years after she was reportedly passed over for a spot on the City Planning Commission because of opposition on the city council. “Guess it’s easier to name a communist to a position that doesn’t require confirmation,” said New York State Assembly member Kalman Yeger (D).
Mamdani was elected in November to tackle affordability, but his opening moves suggest the housing crisis will worsen under his leadership as he works to expand rent controls and prioritizes socialist platitudes over serious housing policy. A news conference on his first full day in power, when he announced Weaver’s appointment, was held outside 85 Clarkson Avenue: a rent-stabilized apartment building in Brooklyn whose owner, the Pinnacle Group, is currently involved in a bankruptcy case.
Having toured the apartments, Mamdani witnessed for himself the eroding pipes, busted floorboards and poor maintenance – all common consequences of rent controls wherever they are tried. As we have repeatedly warned, capping what landlords can charge tenants, especially below market rate, leads to unlivable accommodations and a broader rise in average rent costs. It does not lead to cheaper, nicer rental options.
Mamdani is also launching “Rental Ripoff” hearings — an opportunity for tenants in the five boroughs to publicly level their grievances against “bad” landlords in the court of public opinion. A far cry from a housing court, these Chavismo-style stunts will do nothing to help New Yorkers struggling to make rent.
Mamdani and Weaver might enjoy fantasizing about a collective utopia without property rights. In reality, renters are going to be left fending for themselves as they navigate ever-dilapidating housing conditions.
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